Ko Yao ( th, เกาะยาว, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') in Phang Nga province in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

's south.

History

Early history

Numerous cave paintings hidden around Ko Yao Island date back more than 2,000 years and attest distinct influence to its communities living today in the southern mainland provinces of Thailand. The early inhabitants of Ko Yao were the

Moken people The Moken (also ''Mawken or'' ''Morgan''; ; th, ชาวเล, lit=sea people, translit=chao le) are an Austronesian people of the Mergui Archipelago, a group of approximately 800 islands claimed by both Myanmar and Thailand. Most of the 2,0 ...

s (Sea Gypsies). Other nomadic peoples of the region are believed to be more recent migrants from the Malay peninsula, who settled on the islands in the 17th-18th centuries. These later arrivals include the

Maniq people The Maniq or Mani are an ethnic group of Thailand. They are more widely known in Thailand as the ''Sakai'' ( th, ซาไก), a controversial derogatory term meaning'barbarism'. They are the only Negrito group in Thailand and speak a variety of ...

, the

Semang The Semang are an ethnic-minority group of the Malay Peninsula. They live in mountainous and isolated forest regions of Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Kedah of Malaysia and the southern provinces of Thailand. The Semang are among the different eth ...

and other

Negrito The term Negrito () refers to several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. Populations often described as Negrito include: the Andamanese peoples (including the Great Andamanese, the O ...

peoples, all often interchangeably known, especially prior to the mid-20th century, as ''Sakai'', a name now considered derogatory by the groups themselves and many Thais. The

Mon people The Mon ( mnw, ဂကူမည်; my, မွန်လူမျိုး‌, ; th, มอญ, ) are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and se ...

, belonging to the Khmer ethnolinguistic group, settled in peninsular Thailand ruling over maritime states like

Ligor Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality ( th, เทศบาลนครนครศรีธรรมราช, ; from Pali ''Nagara Sri Dhammaraja'') is a municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') in Southern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat prov ...

(Nakhon Si Thammarat). They melded with northern and southern migrants from

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and Thailand, over centuries of commercial exchange and political conflict. The Mon stock remains prevalent for most of the people living in southern Thailand today, including the people of Ko Yao.

20th century

The minor district (''

king amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to counti ...

'') Ko Yao was established in 1903 as a subordinate of

Mueang Phang Nga district Mueang Phang Nga ( th, เมืองพังงา, , ) is the capital district ('' amphoe mueang'') of Phang Nga province in southern Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is ...

. On 1 January 1988 it was upgraded to a full district.

Geography

The district covers several islands of the Ko Yao archipelago in Phang Nga Bay, near the island of

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

. The two main islands are named Ko Yao Yai and Ko Yao Noi ('big long island' and 'small long island'). The northern tips of the islands are part of Ao Phang Nga National Park.

Religion

Ninety percent of the district's population (2018) of 18,000 are Muslims. The Muslim religion was introduced in the 13th century by Arab traders.

Administration

The district is divided into three sub-districts (

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district ('' amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 '' khwaen ...

s), which are further subdivided into 18 villages ('' mubans''). Ko Yao itself has sub-district municipality (''

thesaban tambon Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

'') status, which covers parts of ''tambon'' Ko Yao Noi. There are a further three

tambon administrative organization ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng' ...

s (TAO).

References

External links

*
amphoe.com
(Thai) {{Amphoe Phang Nga Ko Yao Islands of Thailand